


I was stunned by pure horror and disgust

by vapoplushie



Category: Petscop (Web Series)
Genre: One Shot, Sensory Overload
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vapoplushie/pseuds/vapoplushie
Summary: The Marks held many family gatherings, all of which Rainer hated. This was one of them.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	I was stunned by pure horror and disgust

**Author's Note:**

> CW for sensory overload!

Parties always managed to be insufferable. There was the initial ordeal of going, yes, but even more torturous was the harsh length of time to which they were drawn out. A sickening facade of smiling faces and hollow hugs.

And the people. Ugh, the people there. It was like a perfect hell for Rainer, every miserable person he hated in a single home. There was almost nowhere to escape: Two bedrooms, a garage, and a bathroom.

At this point anything at all would be better than what he was suffering at the moment. It took a lot of willpower not to slam the bathroom door shut behind him. So much noise, so many faces. His back couldn’t press against the door any harder. He wanted it all to go straight to hell.

He sank down a bit. The tiles were cold - a welcome contrast to the hot anger. Dots of unknown substance speckled the floor. The cabinet under the sink stared daggers into him. These things would become his most intimate friends. 

Everything was frozen except the emotion surging up his neck. Earthquakes erupted at the corners of his mouth, and like an uncontrollable monster, it broke through to do violence to his eyes. Everything was already too much, and this was just another invasive presence. He didn’t contribute a single movement to the ordeal - he just stared at the wall and let the crying happen as gravity dragged him to the floor. 

It took a good 20 minutes, but after Rainer was done with his sobbing session, he gingerly pushed the door open. A sliver of the house, full of life, screamed back at him. His eyes were already raw, his cheeks marked with dry, salty streaks. He wanted everyone to know about his bathroom visit. His haunting face would make people worried, they’d do a double take and lean into each other and ask what was wrong. He found peace in the thought of disturbing them. 

Immediately, Jill grabbed his wrist and yanked him deeper into the hallway. 

“You are NOT doing this again.”

Stark silence.

“We’re here to have a fun time with your family, go and talk to people.”

Rainer didn’t even give her the luxury of looking in her direction. A curtain of hair formed a precious barrier over his face.

“So, what, you’re not even gonna speak to me now, like I’m some sort of animal? I don’t deserve to be spoken to?” 

Jesus christ, stop taking it so personally. He didn’t feel like having another fruitless attempt at explaining anything to her. In this moment, his mind contained nothing but insults and criticism to fling at his mother. But those were unsavory, apparently, and exceptionally rude. He wanted to implode at this party, not make a bickering scene.

She spat out one last pitiful insult, “You’re acting bizarre.” Jill returned to the glob of people gathered in the kitchen. 

There was only a single person in this house who wasn’t heinous. 

Care’s room was like a sort of haven. The AC unit managed to drone loud enough to muffle any intrusive noise, and the very same welcoming cold filled the space. At this point, Rainer was seething, and the icy air brought attention to the damp stains on his face. Care was crouched on the floor with a pile of Crayolas. Unresponsive, they were deeply focused on their craft, scribbling a circle.

Almost nothing was going on in here. Care hated the noise just as much as he did, and he understood. He wasn’t sure they even knew who he was, but that wasn’t a problem. Almost everyone was a stranger here. Surrounded by family, he and Care were the loneliest people in the world.

Rainer craned his neck to catch a glimpse of what they were drawing. Care didn’t move an inch. Their tiny hand jutted out back and forth to form a harsh spike. The crayon returned to the bottom of the page to continue spiraling. Rainer was transfixed. 360, 720, 1080, 1440, 1800, 2160. As the circle tightened, the shape was given form. It was difficult to make out, but it looked like a silly bird. 

Rainer offered no commentary. He was sick of the snarky remarks of their kin, and knew Care was likely just as much a victim of them as he was. In this frigid room, Care was okay, even if only for a moment. Beyond the thin barrier of the door, however, the oppressive presence loomed. Every single person out there would eat this poor kid alive.

He hated them for that.

**Author's Note:**

> Woah, this was cathartic. heh. a lot of this is inspired by personal experience, man Rainer im sorry your ma is like that.


End file.
